Memoria de la Batallia
by SnowPuddles
Summary: Two young fighters from extremely different backgrounds find that opposites do indeed attract, but is the attraction strong enough to survive the battle of their lives as they face a combined army of angry beasts?
1. Collision! A Meeting at the Markets

**Hey all, just a note before you start reading! While _Memoria de la Batallia_ is set in the world of Vana'diel and based on Final Fantasy XI, I've taken some liberties in making things up to help the story flow better, while keeping its authenticity as a FFXI based fic. Just thought I'd let you know so nobody got confused! **

**Standard disclaimers apply - Final Fantasy XI and related titles are copyright Square Enix. **

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**Collision! A Meeting at the Markets**_  
In preparation for his journey to Jeuno, Lt. Ezekiel "Rally" Pender heads for the auction house in the heart of Bastok Markets. Travelling to Bastok to learn smithery had been a waste of time and money for Chay Vanderhaben, and so she proceeds to the Markets to rid herself of excess wares to earn enough for her airship fare to Jeuno. Our heroes collide – what trouble ensues?_

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It was a letter that inspired many emotions. For his father, it inspired pride, his sister, worry; for Ezekiel "Rally" Pender, officer of the Republican Elite Armed Forces and son of the notable and high powered Gareth Pender, former Bastokan Ambassador to San D'oria, the letter, which was really more of a note, gave rise to an overwhelming sense of exasperation.

"_The Venerable President Karst and Gen. Nahdj, Head Ambassador to Jeuno, request the presence of the honorable Lt. Ezekiel Pender for an important briefing at the Bastokan Embassy, located in Ru'Lude Gardens, Jeuno. The briefing will occur upon the second Lightningsday of the sixth month, reigning Year of Altana. Promptness is desired." _

So they wanted him in Jeuno again, did they? Zeke had done a brief stint as an aid to the previous Ambassador Liude in his teenage years, thinking that his destiny lay in the grand City of Bridges, but had returned home not soon after the appointment, disgusted by the pathway the city had taken after the influx of adventurers had hit. Now, at the ripe old age of twenty-six, Zeke was grateful for the excuse to leave the family home in the center of Bastok, but had no desire to return to the city of Jeuno, sure that its once glittering streets were now tarnished with the mud of adventurers' boots.

"This is a great honor, son," his father prattled on, as he had been for the past hour. Zeke shifted, slouching down in an attempt to get comfortable in the cushion less, straight-backed chairs of the Pender dining room. "You are being called upon to represent the Pender family in a city of great renown. I hope you treat this mission with utmost care and respect. Are you listening to me boy? Sit up straight!"

His father had been picking at him about the assignment since the note had arrived an hour and a half earlier, during their breakfast meal. A now retired politician, Zeke's father had been waiting avidly for the government to call upon his son, in hopes of re-living his glory days through the younger Pender. Such a note probably filled his father's mind with fancy parties and great honors to be heaped upon the family name. Zeke had no such aspirations; he would go, receive his assignment, and get it over with as quickly as possible. Praying his father was done, he pushed back from the table.

"If you'll excuse me, Father, I have – "

"Sit down, boy! I'm not through with you!" and so commenced the lecture on his utter lack of respect for authority and how if only he dedicated himself to his work, he would be much happier. Zeke had heard it hundreds of times, but his father never seemed to tire of lecturing him nonetheless. As his father began to wind down, his sister stepped in for him.

"Please Father, I'm sure Zeke has errands to run before he leaves. Would it be so terrible to let him prepare now, and speak with him later?" Shooting his sister a smile of thanks, Zeke used his father's angry silence to slip out of the dining room and away from the house, towards the marketplace.

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The crowds around the Bastok Markets auction house were as bad as ever, people shoving and crowding into the small areas where items and recent bids were posted. He moved over towards the delivery service, struggling to push through the heavy throng of bodies. A friend from his Jeuno days, a renowned silversmith, had recently forged him a new great sword on commission, and he had been notified of its arrival along with his call to arms in Jeuno.

"Package for Pender, please." He shifted, waiting as the bulky Galka moved back into the room to find his package. "It should be fairly long," he called out, leaning slightly over the counter.

"Excuse me sir…" came a soft, feminine voice from somewhere nearby. He glanced briefly over his shoulder at the petite girl standing next to him.

"Please sir…a moment of your time?"

"What?" he snapped angrily, wanting the kid to go away so he could deal with his shopping in peace.

"I was just thinking, was all…" What was this girl getting at? If she wanted to get to the delivery counter, she'd just have to wait in line. And since when did asking anyone to step aside warrant the sharing of thoughts? He glowered down at the young woman's face, trying to make it clear that he didn't want to be bothered. Her smile faltered momentarily under his gaze, before strengthening into a full-fledged beam, white teeth bared in a happy grin of camaraderie; what was she up to?

"You just looked like you could use some metal ores, is all. Real cheap, if you like. I could even –" He groaned, grabbing his package from the recently returned courier and pushing her roughly aside. He didn't have the time or the desire to listen to her lame sales pitch. He wasn't even in the market for any metal ores.

"Hey! HEY!" She was chasing after him, ducking and swerving around the horde of people gathered around the auction house. "That was pretty rude there mister! Hey! I'm talking to you!" She reached out to grab his elbow, her fingers just barely brushing the sleeve of his royal blue aketon. "C'mon mister! Just one lousy ore?" She had latched on to his package, dragging him backwards. Goddess, she was strong! He wheeled on her, in no mood to be toyed with, jabbing a scolding finger in her face, just as she gave a violent tug on the package, sending him reeling in to her as wood splintered in her small hands.

"Listen, I don't want your stupid ores no matter how cheap they are. Now if you'd let go of me, I'd like to be on my way." he snapped as he pushed her away once again. She wasn't paying any attention to him; instead, she was staring inside his package, which she had accidentally ripped open in their little tug of war.

"Hot damn, that's a pretty sweet great sword! Lemme guess, Skimbleshanks smithed this, didn't he? Man he's getting better by the day!" She tugged the sword gently out of the sawdust mess that filled the package, inspecting the blade. So the girl knew her weapons masters; it still didn't make him want to stop and have a casual conversation with her, even despite the fact that she wrinkled her faintly freckled nose in the cutest way as she bent over, running her thumb gently along the glistening blade. "You know," she murmured, glancing up at him mischievously, amber eyes clashing with his icy blues, "a bronze ore would go a long way in keeping this beaut sharp." He sighed; she obviously wasn't going to give up.

"Alright alright," he sighed, "how much for one bronze ore?"

"Oh, let's see" she mused, biting her lower lip, "how's about 250 gil?"

"Two fifty. For an ore?"

"Right?" she looked hesitant, realizing that he knew she was cheating him. She should have figured a well-dressed guy like him would know what a simple bronze ore _should_ cost.

"I can just go to the guild and get it for ten. What makes yours worth two fifty?"

"Well two forty is a donation to a non-profit organization," she lied through her teeth. "The Vanderhaben Airship Ticket Society. I'm sure you've heard of it." She was blatantly cheating him out of two hundred and forty gil, an amount that could probably buy him food for a few days in the outlands. Or, as she had hinted at, an airship ticket; she was trying to get out of town. Sighing, he dug in his pockets, tossing a few gold coins into her outstretched palm; the desire to leave Bastok was something he could sympathize with. She beamed at him, handing over the ore, and further rewarded him with a rather bone crushing hug.

"Thanks a boatload mister!" she called over her shoulder as she practically skipped away towards the rapidly growing crowd. He shook his head in bewilderment, tucking the ore into his pocket and doing his best to put his package back together, all the while hypnotized by her retreating back. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of how nice certain parts of her anatomy looked as she sashayed her way through the throng of people, Zeke turned, heading once again for the drafty, near-empty mansion his family resided in.

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**Hope you enjoyed!**

**_..:Puddles:.._**


	2. Air Mail and a Tense Journey

**Ah, good old chapter 2 is out. Enjoy! (Standard disclaimers apply)**

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**Air Mail and a Tense Journey  
**_Unable to pay for her airship ticket, Chay sneaks aboard at the last minute. Zeke witnesses her petty crime, and condemns her for breaking the law. An argument takes place, allowing us more insight into our heroes' pasts_ _._

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"Take care of yourself, Brother," Amerita whispered in his ear as she pulled him in for a quick hug. Zeke gave her a reassuring smile; both he and his twin were lonely people with only each other to call friends. He hated to leave her alone in that empty house with his father, who would spend his days pondering Zeke's successes aloud, and constantly quizzing her as to why he hadn't written yet. He pressed a small linkpearl into the palm of her hand as he lifted his heavy pack to his shoulder. This way, at least, they could keep in touch when he wasn't busy.

"Don't worry, Mer, I'll be back before you know it. Just try not to let dear old Dad drive you crazy before then," he laughed as he lifted his hand in a jaunty wave. It was better to fool her into believing he was cheerful than letting her sit in her room sewing some concoction or another and fretting over why he'd looked so miserable. With one final quick nod, he turned and jogged down the steps to the airship docks. He smiled at the pretty little red head collecting tickets and handed over his last voucher, ensuring him a free airship ride. A dusty blonde eyebrow quirked in surprise as the young lady coughed politely and refused to let him pass.

"I'm sorry sir, but it would seem this is an old voucher. Due to the Jeunoean economy, we've had to raise our prices. You still owe one hundred gil." He sighed, digging into his pockets for a few extra coins to pay his fare. It seemed he was being cheated out of quite a lot of gil by pretty girls this week.

"The economy, eh? Damn adventurer scum…" he muttered under his breath as she gave him a sheepish smile, stepping aside to allow him down to the docks. They were festering with the aforementioned scum, all waiting for the airship for Jeuno. He wondered how many had actually earned the right to ride the airship, and how many had simply made it big in the selling and buying business, and bought the right. He was by no means old, but all the money crazed teenagers who called themselves adventurers and had little to no allegiance to any country made him feel like an old coot wishing for the "good old days." They made him feel like his father, and that made him feel rather sick.

The airship arrived exactly two minutes late, as always, and the crowd raced forward with little to no regard of the others around them, as always. Safely on the ship, he found the nearest window and scanned the small scattering of people waving goodbye to loved ones. He spotted his sister in the shadow of the ticketing office building and gave her a small wave. Knowing her, she'd stand there until the airship wasn't even a speck in the sky. Despite being four minutes younger than him, she'd taken to mothering him, and hence worrying over him, ever since they lost their mother at the age of twelve, and so, there she would stand, hiding by the ticketing office, until she was absolutely positive he'd made it to Jeuno safely. Her sad predictability brought a wistful smile to his face.

The captain was announcing their impending departure, when he saw a petite figure ducking under the rope separating the dock from the departures area. The airship doors were slowly creaking shut as she raced down the gangway, raven hair flying around her face, long legs pushing powerfully underneath her as she made the final leap between the closing doors. She rolled to a stop on the floor of the airship, sprawling on her back and sucking much needed air into her lungs. It was that girl from the market – the pretty one who'd cheated him out of two hundred and forty gil. Most of the adventurers had ignored her flamboyant entrance, assuming she was just running late and had been lucky to catch the ship before it left. He slowly sauntered over to where she lay, looming over her spread eagled body.

"So, where's your ticket?"

"Shh!" she hissed, pushing herself up into a seated position. "They'll hear you!" In case he wasn't aware of who "they" were, she jerked her head in the direction of the two tall Elvaan standing at the head of the stairs to the deck, a flamboyant badge proclaiming each of them an "Airship Traffic Control Authority."

"Well I should think after my generous donation to the Vanderhaben Airship Ticket Society, you could at least afford to _not_ break the law. The only thing that gets on here for free is air mail, and even then there's a postage tax." She gave him a sour look as she languidly rose to her feet, dusting off her backside as she did.

"Then consider me a special delivery!" she declared through a rather appealing pout that gave him an uneasy feeling deep in his gut. He shook his head; '_It's people like you that make them raise prices in the first place.'_ She put her hands on her hips, huffing at him angrily, "Besides, we can't all be a Mr. Gilpants like you. Some of us actually have to work for a living!"

"Oh well excuse me!" he snapped, angry at her insinuation that he lived solely off of his father's generosity. "I'll have you know that I'm – "

"Yeah yeah, you're some big shot Lieutenant for the REAF," she snapped, rudely interrupting him. "Like that could even be considered work. All you have to do is slice and dice a few baddies and look pretty doing it and you're rolling in the dough. Altana forbid you ever worry about where your next paycheck is coming from!" She crossed her arms over her chest, stomping angrily away into the main passenger area of the airship, staring at the large map of Vana'diel.

'_Leave it to a woman,'_ he thought to himself, '_to reduce an entire war down to slicing and dicing "a few baddies;" as if she could even handle herself against a worm in Gustaberg!' _

"Well if being in the REAF is such a lucrative job, why don't you do it?" He'd meant to embarrass her, to teach her not to criticize those doing what she could never do. He hadn't expected the wave of sadness that washed over her attractive features, her sparkling amber eyes going dull.

"I can't," she whispered softly, scuffing her boot into the ground. "I'm Misplaced."_Misplaced._ The simple word sent a shiver of dread down his spine. It was perhaps the worst fate to be suffered in all of Vana'diel.

Ten years ago, the three great city-states of Windurst, Bastok, and San D'oria changed their citizenship laws to account for the influx of adventurers. Rather than assuming the citizenship of your parents at birth, you were now required to apply for citizenship when you reached the age of legal adult. To account for the flaky loyalties of adventurers, however, the city-states had posted hefty price tags on citizenship applications. To avoid the price-tag, one had to prove long-term residence in the city through his or her parents' citizenship. As the children of the Crystal War were reaching adulthood now, however, a phenomenon had broken out, creating a class of people known as the Misplaced. The Misplaced were orphaned in the war and, unable to either prove their parents' citizenship or pay the immense sum required for a citizenship application, remained unable to attain citizenship status in any of the main city-states.

Lack of citizenship was equivalent to nonexistence. Without citizenship, there was no legal justice to be had, and no way to properly (or legally) obtain travel documents, let alone apply for a steady job that paid decently well. He felt a wave of pity for her, immediately regretting his earlier snide comments. Who was he to judge her when fate had dealt her such lowly cards? His hand inadvertently reached for her shoulder in a gesture of sympathy, when something clicked in his head. She was Misplaced, which meant she had no airship license, which thus meant she couldn't have paid for a ticket, even if the two hundred and fifty gil he'd given her had been enough. His hand landed heavily on her shoulder; she turned, lifting her chin and leveling him with something similar to the look his mother had given him as a small child when he'd misbehaved.

"I do not want," she announced in her clear, lilting voice, "nor do I need, your pity or sympathy. I'm doing perfectly well as I am, thank you." His mouth quirked in something that could very easily be mistaken for a smile if one didn't know him well enough; it was her turn to be unnerved.

"Oh I'm sure you're just peachy keen. I was more curious about this Vanderhaben Airship Ticket Society. Explain to me, Miss…" Here he trailed off, realizing he didn't even know her name.

"Chay" she mumbled, staring at the ground, knowing exactly where the conversation was headed.

"Right. Could you explain to me, Miss Chay, how this 'society,' as you put it, goes about obtaining airship tickets when it doesn't even have a license?"

"Well, it's simple really," she mumbled, giving him a sheepish smile. Nobody could say the girl didn't know how to use her charms; faced with large doe eyes gazing up at him through long silky lashes and a rather alluring pout, Zeke's cold exterior was quickly reduced to a hollow shell holding a puddle of melted man within.

"You just have to define 'airship tickets' as 'mithkabobs' and your problem is solved. You wouldn't want me to starve would you?" Her lower lip stuck out just a little bit more, quivering just the slightest little bit. He was transfixed by her; he'd never been so attracted to and yet so cheated by a woman at the same time. Her spell was broken as one of the Elvaan guards strode regally into the room, announcing the airship's impending arrival in Jeuno.

"We'll be arriving in Jeuno shortly. Please gather your belongings."


End file.
